SAIPAN, CNMI (Saipan Tribune, Nov. 2, 2012) – At least 438 "inactive" bank accounts in Bank of Guam and First Hawaiian Bank may be transferred to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Treasury as early as January 2013 in compliance with a nine-month-old law allowing the CNMI government to have access to dormant and inactive bank accounts and unclaimed funds for depositors' accounts.

The two banks issued yesterday a notice and list of the names of the 438 bank accounts that have been inactive for three years or more as of June 30, 2012. These include savings, checking, and other types of accounts on Saipan, Tinian and Rota.

Rep. Ray Yumul (Ind-Saipan), author of the bill that became Public Law 17-69 or The Escheat Act of 2011, said yesterday there may be hundreds more in dormant bank accounts because other banks have yet to issue public notices as required...

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (PNG Post-Courier, Nov. 1, 2012) – Papua New Guineans will go to the 2017 National Elections in five years time using biometric identification card system.

National Planning and Monitoring Minister Charles Abel said in the recent elections, many of the problems came from the Common Roll, issues relating to the accuracy of the Roll and double voting, adding that in accordance with the Alotau Accord that formed the O’Neill-Dion regime, the government agreed to introduce the biometric system to minimize election problems.

He said the National Executive Council has approved the engagement of Huawei Technologies as the lead contractor to establish the national electronic identification card system for US$76 million (K228 million).

Minister Charles Abel announced in a media conference yesterday that the US$76 million will come from within the...

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Radio New Zealand International, Nov. 1, 2012) – The Australia-based Refugee Action Coalition says three Iranian asylum seekers were taken to hospital yesterday evening after a suicide attempt and two incidents of self-harm in the Nauru detention camp.

The coalition’s spokesman Ian Rintoul says another asylum seeker was left bleeding after being punched by a camp security guard as the guard tried to push asylum seekers away from one of the men.

"The camp was left in a very distraught and anxious situation. The people there have been appealing to the guards to intervene and the guards hadn’t done anything. It was really the asylum seekers that came to his assistance and this morning after a meeting last night they’ve now declared that there’s a camp-wide hunger strike which is happening at the moment."...

MELBOURNE, Australia (Radio Australia, Nov. 1, 2012) – Unofficial results from Vanuatu's national election suggest there could be as many as 18 parties represented in the new parliament.

Counting is continuing across the country after Tuesday's poll.

The outgoing Parliament had 15 parties, with some having split from others during their term.

However that number is likely to increase again with the new parliament.

Early results showed that two of the oldest parties in Vanuatu - the Vanua'aku Party and the UMP, which itself began life as the Union of Moderate Parties - could end up with only nine and seven MPs respectively.

Vanua'aku Party leader, Edward Natapei, says that "money changed hands" on the last few days of campaigning.

"We had assurances from a lot of our supporters in the communities but in the end the outcome was not very good," he said.

MELBOURNE, Australia (Radio Australia, Nov. 1, 2012) – Logging companies in Papua New Guinea are using special agricultural leases to clear vast tracts of rainforest timber, on the promise of roads and economic development for remote villages. Land in PNG is almost sacred but over the past eight years it has been under assault from a land scandal that has seen 11 percent of the country leased under controversial Special Agricultural and Business Leases (SABL).

The leases are meant to be for small agricultural developments, not for logging, but they have been abused by logging interests.

In May last year, community outrage in PNG prompted the government to set up a Commission of Inquiry into how so much land had been leased and how rules had been flouted.

In Western Province, an Australian-led company, Independent Timbers and Stevedoring (IT&S), has been involved in arranging for more than 2...

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (PNG Post-Courier, Nov. 1, 2012) – Papua New Guinea’s government has been ordered to pay almost K2 million [US$957,364] in four separate court proceedings instituted by people whose human rights were abused by agents of the State especially Police.

The National Court on Equity – Human Rights presided by senior Judge Justice David Cannings awarded four separate judgments against the State, amounts ranging from K6,000 [US$2,872] to the highest of K1.39 million [US$665,368].

The claimants have all alleged that their human rights were abused by police.

The highest amount of K1.39 million kina was awarded to 10 men from EHP. They say that on October 9, 1999 at Henganofi they were, without good reason, shot in the feet and detained for 64 days by a police squad before they were released from custody. In custody, they were denied medical treatment...

Pacific Islands Development Program, East-West Center With Support From Center for Pacific Islands Studies, University of Hawai‘i

Commentary

Parliamentary ‘Games’ Distract From Tonga’s Economic Woes

By Pesi Fonua

NUKUALOFA, Tonga (Matangi Tonga, Nov. 1, 2012) – Tonga's democratic adventure during the past two years has been full of intrigues, revelations and challenges.

The highlight of the political reform, which was supposed to usher in a more democratic system of government, was the surrendering by the Monarchy of its executive power to a majority-elected Cabinet and Parliament.

With new political power resting in the hands of our lawmakers, there was a presumption that our elected members of parliament might find ways to raise the standards of living for the 100,000 people in this beautiful little country.

But, unfortunately, since the introduction of Tonga's new political system two years ago, instead of leading us out of...

The Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) service is the latest technology in television service and is a limited service offered within the Bluesky’s broadband coverage area in both Upolu and Savaii islands.

In launching the service last night, CEO Aoe’e Adolfo Montenegro said the service uses Bluesky’s broadband network to deliver content to a digital set top box installed in subscribers’ homes and businesses.

"Moana TV is the first IPTV service not only in Samoa but the entire South Pacific," he stated.

He said that the service is currently deployed in 50 test locations and will be rolled out in phases.

"In its first phase, it will only be available in selected areas including Apia urban through to Puipa’a on the west and through to...

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Radio New Zealand International, Nov. 4, 2012) – The Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Kamalesh Sharma, says as Kiribati struggles with the impacts of climate change it is important agencies such as his step up.

Mr Sharma has been visiting key Pacific Island states - last week he was in Nauru and then travelled to Kiribati over the weekend.

He told the Nauru Government that the Commonwealth would help it unlock climate change funding, and he intends making Kiribati a similar offer.

But Mr Sharma says the Commonwealth has to be careful to bring to bear its own comparative advantage.

"There is a lot of bi-lateral co-operation going on, there’s regional organisations, there’s environmental organisations but I will try and seek to find where we can add value, and as I have succeeded in doing in Nauru, creating a very very interesting and realistic manual for...

Pacific Islands Report is a nonprofit news publication of the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Offered as a free service to readers, PIR provides an edited digest of news, commentary and analysis from across the Pacific Islands region, Monday - Friday.